reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP (11/16/84)
I recently finished reading "D.W. Griffith: An American Life" by Richard
Schickel. I don't read many biographies, but I am very interested in films
and had seen several of Griffith's films not too long ago, so I checked it
out from the library. It's a fascinating picture of the early days of
film, focusing, of course, on Griffith. Since many of the big names in silent
movies got their start with Griffith (the Gish sisters, Mary Pickford, Mack
Sennett, Erich von Stroheim, Raoul Walsh, Lionel Barrymore, Donald Crisp,
almost Rudolph Valentino, etc.), the book provides a portrait of the industry
as a whole. It also will undoubtedly serve as the definitive biography of
Griffith. Schickel uncovers the truth behind many of the myths about Griffith.
Debts from "Intolerance" didn't impovrish him, as is commonly thought. Most
of his last decade was spent in comfort, not poverty, and his inactivity during
this period was at least partially his own fault.
Schickel is particularly strong in uncovering the elements that appeared
throughout Griffith's works, such as the innocent young woman threatened by
rape, the beseiged characters saved by a last minute ride to the rescue, and
the harm done by meddlesome do-gooders. Schickel delves deeply into Griffith's
background to reveal the source of these themes, which were deeply felt by
Griffith.
While it is a good book, "D.W. Griffith" has some flaws. Occasionally,
Schickel's prose becomes rather confused (not too often, fortunately).
Schickel is perhaps overly fond of explaining the financial arrangements
behind Griffith's films. Admittedly, financial pressures did have a lot to
do with Griffith's way of working, and with his downfall, but the detail
presented is more than most readers will want to know. Also, Schickel has
developed a too thinly veiled antipathy for Carol Dempster, a modestly
talented actress who Griffith unwisely and persistently tried to force on
an uninterested public. While she certainly did no good for Griffith's
career, Schickel never backs up his assertion that she was a major cause
of Griffith's failure. Most of the films she appeared in were bombs, but
even Schickel's descriptions indicate that they would have flopped regardless
of what actress had the lead.
There are enough high points to make these problems of secondary importance.
Griffith's prolific period making shorts for Biograph, the conception and
execution of "Birth of a Nation", the massive logistic difficulties of the
Bablylonian sequences of "Intolerance", filming in the blizzards for "Way
Down East", and the making of "Broken Blossoms" are particularly interesting.
I would recommend the book to those who have an interest in the early days of
film and the first true cinematic genius.
--
Peter Reiher
reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher